CT: Silence
by SMWriter
Summary: All things must come to pass - even the dreaded silence...
1. Prologue

And So It Begins...

When the universe was nothing but a formless void, they existed.

When molecules began forming, they pulled the atoms together.

Before stars could shine, they spun the core.

They created the "Big Bang."

They were "in the beginning…"

They covered the planet with water.

They created the sky.

They separated water and watched land emerge.

They made the plants and animals.

They formed the first humans.

For millions of years, they lay dormant, waiting for the time when they were needed yet again.

The time has come.

They carry the power of the universe in a single touch, and now, an army of them stand on a single, snow-covered mountaintop, awaiting the sign for the end of days.

They knew their mission. They knew how to accomplish it, their leader given the battle plan: To the south lay the destined; to the north, the harbinger; to the west, a re-emerging power; to the east, destiny patiently awaited the arrival of her Sovereigns.

"They'll fight us," one of them said.

"They fear it," another continued.

"They'll protect him," still a third commented.

"No matter," the leader spoke up. "He is the key. It must be done."


	2. Setting the Stage

She could barely contain her excitement, except she was in shock to the point of ridiculous. The strip had turned blue. It had actually turned blue! She was pregnant!

"Mommy happy?" a little boy's voice floated into her excitement. Usagi turned around and saw Takehiko, her four-year-old son, standing behind her.

"Oh, yes, darling!" she exclaimed as she hurried to pick him up and hug him. "Mommy's very happy."

"Why comes?"

"Well…" Usagi had to stop for a minute. "You, my dear, are going to be a big brother!"

"Really?"

"Mm hmm…"

"When?" He looked at his mother with wide eyes. "Tomorrow?"

Usagi couldn't help but laugh. "No, Sweetheart, not tomorrow."

"Then when? Next week?"

"No, not next week. I would have to say possibly in at most nine months."

His eyes got wider. "Nine months? That's a long time! Can't I be a big brother before then?"

"Of course! Mommy and Daddy are going to need a lot of help getting ready for the baby. Do you want to help us?"

He scrunched up his face. "Help doing what?"

"Well, we have to clean out the one room to make it a bedroom. We have to pick out clothes and a crib…" She caught a sad look in his eye. "What's wrong?"

"Do I get new stuff, too?"

Usagi smiled at him. "Yes, Honey. You'll get some new stuff, too. But remember, you already have most of what we'll be buying for the baby. You have a bed, clothes, and toys. The baby, when it gets here, won't have any of that, so we need to be sure it has something to sleep in, wear, and play with."

Her son screwed up his face as he looked at his mother. "Am I going to have to buy pink?"

"If it's a girl, I'd imagine you can't get away from it, but if it's a boy, no. I think blue would be fine." She set her son on the floor. "Now, why don't you go play so I can get dinner started? We'll tell Daddy tonight, okay?"

* * *

Something was off. That was all Mamoru could tell you as he walked into the tall apartment building, bringing some of the cold October wind with him. He couldn't tell you what it was, but something was definitely off-kilter as he stepped into the elevator and pushed 28, the floor the apartment was on.

He could imagine his wife at home, cooking something – hopefully Italian (he'd been craving spaghetti for a solid week). She would be in the kitchen donning whatever jeans and t-shirt she'd thrown on that morning, chasing Takehiko, their four-year-old son, away from the stove while trying to make sure the sauce didn't burn.

He smiled at that. It wasn't that long ago that his wife was sixteen and could burn water. Now, she'd become quite the culinary artist, thanks to Makoto and a few culinary arts courses she'd had at Tōkyō University.

He was proud of his wife. Soon after she'd turned eighteen, they married and she became pregnant with Takehiko. She went to University while raising a surprise child and learned how to cook on the side. One thing could be said of his wife – when she put her mind to anything, it got done, no matter what lifetime it was in.

Yes, Takehiko was a surprise, all right. The day he was born, both of the parents were ready to greet the little pink-haired siren into this world, but what they had was a raven-haired little bundle of very male energy.

For weeks, the two new parents kept trying to figure out what had happened – even went so far as to go to the time plane and speak to Sailor Pluto. Not that it helped much – her answer was always the same: "Time is unfolding as it should."

After what seemed like the eightieth time, Usagi finally had given up on trying finding out what had happened. Pluto wasn't worried, and Takehiko was just as much fun to raise and take care of as she was sure Chibiusa would have been (or could still be…wasn't she twenty-two when she had Chibiusa?).

However, despite all of the assurances of the Time Guardian, Mamoru was still worried. It never made sense to him why he was never mentioned. Chibiusa never even hinted that there was a second child – not a slip, not a gesture, nothing. This led Mamoru (over the past four years) to deduce there was no son in the future.

"You're thinking about it again," a soft voice cut into his thoughts. He blinked and looked around, finding himself standing in his apartment, leaning against the door. The problem was, though, that he didn't know when he got there.

He looked into the foyer and saw his wife standing there, clad in the jeans and t-shirt he'd predicted, but donning an apron besides. Shaking his head, he put his briefcase down and said, "What did you say?"

Usagi placed her hands on hips, trying to give her husband a stern glare. "You're thinking about it again."

He tried to brush her off. "Thinking about what?"

"The future. It's written all over your face." She went up to him and placed herself in the circle of his arms, pushing her hands against his hard chest. "Mamo-chan, you can't keep dwelling on this…"

"But he wasn't there, Usako! There was nothing, and Endymion said nothing about having a son. Where would the boy be?"

"Perhaps he was living somewhere else…"

"You're supposed to have Chibiusa when you're twenty-two, which is June of next year, which would make him ten years old when Nemesis hits, and you and I both know that the only place a child belongs is with his or her parents. Why would we send our son somewhere else when he should be living with us?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's entirely possible that we sent him off to live somewhere he'd be protected from Nemesis. What parent would want their ten-year-old in the middle of that war?" She pulled back a little to look her husband in the eye. "All we know of the story is that I run outside, frantically looking for our daughter. I'm willing to bet that we try to send the children off somewhere, and Chibiusa disappears on us, but Takehiko is already on the way to whatever safe location we were sending the both of them to." Usagi reached up and cupped her husband's cheek in her palm. "Nothing is going to happen to our son, Mamoru. The most powerful of the Senshi team are his parents, and he has aunts that would give their lives for him. He is well protected." She pulled back so she could be sure he was listening.

Mamoru grinned and took his wife's mouth for his own. "I hate it when you're right."

Usagi giggled. "No, you don't. It takes the pressure off of you every once in a while." She threw him a mischievous grin. "Now, how about some dinner, and then Takehiko and I both have something we need to tell you."

* * *

"You're not taking her," Haruka said as she stood in front of their visitor. "You haven't shown any interest in the child in years."

"Pluto," Michiru started as she, too, stood in front of the time Senshi, partially to shield the woman from her lover's temper, "what do you need Hotaru for? She's a child…"

"She is Sailor Saturn," Pluto stated simply. "She is needed in the north."

"She is still a child!" Michiru took a deep breath. "Pluto, what could you possibly need her for that you cannot handle. You are the most powerful of the three of us…"

"That may be so, but for what is coming, she is needed."

"Then we'll all go," Haruka declared.

"Then you will all die, but if that is your choice, so be it. We leave at dawn."

As Pluto began walking away, Michiru called her back. "Why?"

"Why what?" Pluto countered.

"Why would we all die?"

Pluto's expression seemed to soften – albeit only slightly. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you. I can only say that it would not be in your or the princess's best interests for you to accompany us."

Michiru looked at her lover. This was heartbreaking for the both of them. Hotaru had been their daughter for the better part of her life; she and Haruka had been the only parents – really – that Hotaru knew.

Setsuna had left years ago to reestablish herself at the time gate, and no one had heard from her since. Now, she wants to take the only child that they shared to an undisclosed location while she and her lover stayed behind all (seemingly) on a whim.

And yet, she knew as well as Haruka that there was going to be no stopping it. Something big was coming. The seas have been restless for the last two months, and Haruka's senses have been heightened. Neither was a good sign.

Hotaru approached Michiru and took her hands.

"Mama," she began quietly, "it's all right. I'll go with Sailor Pluto. I know what is about to come and why I need to be there." She smiled up at both of her guardians. "I won't let you down. I promise."

* * *

Cassiopeia walked down the street, hugging her windbreaker around her. One thing she always loved about this place was the cold winds during autumn. There was always something so captivating about the chill in the air and the leaves changing on the trees, signifying a death of sorts – fitting for her current mission.

She continued down the walk, breathing the cold air deeply.

"You!" someone cried from behind her. Cassiopeia turned around and saw a man rushing to her, his eyes wild. "You!"

"Yes?" Cassiopeia asked quietly as she faced the man fully. "May I help you?"

The man brought himself to his full height in front of her as he glared into her eyes. "You are the bringer of death! You have come to kill us all!"

Cassiopeia only smiled at him. "I have not come to do any such thing," she answered softly.

"There is death all around you!"

She placed her hand upon this man's brow and watched as he calmed down. "I have not come to bring death." She walked with him into the alleyway beside the small coffee shop where she was meeting her friends. The tips of her fingers began to glow. "I have not come to bring death; I have come to bring peace."

The man slowly sank into a deep sleep, snoozing on the ground beside the coffee shop. Cassiopeia smiled softly as she took her coat off and draped it over the slumbering man.

"Sleep well, for soon you will awaken to a new day."


End file.
